Deer River BBQ and Brewfest!

It’s just two weeks away!  Get out your favorite brews, read the competition rules, send in your registration and show up with your beers on Saturday August 10th!  Judging of BBQ and beer begins at noon, and the general public is invited to show up at 3 PM ($10 entry) to sample both.  There will be live music to brighten the day, until 8 PM.  There’s unlimited camping space, so it’s a great get away for a couple of days.  The homebrew competition is sanctioned by, and held under the rules of the BJCP.

There’s a dinner Friday night for competitors, event volunteers and families.  Time of this picnic dinner TBD, but will probably be around 6 PM.

Entering the competition means sharing your beer.  You bring twelve bottles each of up to four entries; two for judging and ten to serve to the public.  If you want to bring more to share, or bring any additional homebrew to share, you are welcome.  I brewed twenty extra gallons of beer two weeks ago just to share (coffee stout, coconut milk stout, two versions of IPA). While it feels odd paying an entry fee and then sharing beer, this event is run by the Deer River Chamber of Commerce, and it runs on a break-even proposition.  (The $10 fee the public pays to get in is included in your registration).  The point for homebrewers is a competition that’s also a social event for talking about and sharing beer, delighting some and and introducing others to the joys of the world beyond mass marketed beer.

There are a number of stalls for serving beer, and there will be scouts watching for the best-decorated stall, something new this year.  If you have a particularly ugly chandelier, bring it along and wire it into your stall; there will be a prize for the worst.

To get a flavor for this event, there’s a photo essay of the 2012 competition on this site at this link.  Check the Deer River Chamber of Commerce site for the full details of the event.

You can always ask questions by using the “Contact Us” link on this website.